MOTORS, DRIVES & CONTROLS
Environmental monitoring
satellites use remote sensing technologies to observe and capture electromagnetic radiation from Earth
ENDURING W
ith 2024 set to be the hottest year on record, sea-levels rising faster, and extreme weather
events destroying communities around the world, global players must find a new cutting-edge solution to mitigate climate change. Could environmental monitoring satellites be just that solution? From 11-22 November 2024,
over 50,000 people including world leaders, climate scientists and trade union representatives, met in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29. Two interlinked pillars formed the framework for this year’s conference: to enhance ambition and enable action through increasing investment in climate action projects. In line with this framework,
environmental monitoring satellites took a principal role during discussions at the annual COP session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61). On behalf of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites and the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, Beth Greenway, head of earth observation for the UK Space
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Are environmental monitoring satellites the key to revolutionising climate action? Dave Walsha explains how motor technology can power the fight
Agency, provided the annual update at SBSTA 61. Greenway highlighted the crucial role of satellites in transforming our knowledge of and approach to mitigating and monitoring the effects of climate change.
CLIMATE DATA COLLECTION Environmental monitoring satellites use remote sensing technologies to observe and capture electromagnetic radiation emitted or reflected by the Earth’s surface, atmosphere and oceans. Over 50% of climate variables can only be measured from space. Based on their chemical and physical
properties, different materials and phenomena, such as vegetation, glaciers and pollutants, interact with radiation in distinct ways. This data is then transmitted in real-time to ground stations, where it’s converted into maps, graphs or high-resolution imagery for analysis. Environmental monitoring satellites
can be further equipped with advanced sensors, such as Active Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Hyperspectral, to collect optical data through dense cloud cover and gather imagery across hundreds of spectral bands. Radio frequency satellite sensors advance this capability by
Stepper motors allow for highly accurate positioning of
environmental monitoring satellites
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